Ice-box.



N. S. ERICKSON.

ICE BOX.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 28. 191'5. 1,201,281. Patented Oct. 17,1916.

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N. S. ERiCKSOf.

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APPLICATION FILED JULY 28, 1915.

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UNITED STATES PATENT. omen.

NELS S. ERICKSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-THIRD 'lO JOSEPH R. BURRES, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ICE-BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented pct. 17, 1916.

Apl ication filed July 28, 1915. Serial No. 42,265. a

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NELS S. ERIoxsoN, a citizen of the United States, residlng at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a. certain new and useful Improvement in Ice-Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in ice boxes and has for one object to provide for automatically indicating the weight of ice in the box at any time. 7

Another object is to protect the weighlng mechanism so that it will be inoperative when not needed.

Another object of my, invention is to render the weighing mechanism inoperative whenever the ice box door is closed.

Other objects of my invention will appear in the specification.

My invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in the\ accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a front elevation; Fig. 2 is a vertical section; Fig. 3 a section along the line 33 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 a section along the lineal-4c of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 a section along the line 55' of Fig. 2; Fig.6 a sec tion along the line 66 of Fig. 2; Fig. '7 a section along the line 7-7 of Fig. 1.

Like parts are indicated by llke characters in all the figures.

A is an ice box havin doors A A leading respectively to the ice chamber and the provision chamber.

A is a scale calibrated in pounds, on the front of the ice box. Appearing through this scale is a manometer tube A, in which may be seen a column of mercury, alcohol or other suitable. fluid, A".

B is a supporting frame rigidly mounted in the ice box, immediately below the bottom of the ice chamber. I

B is a floor plate spaced from the walls of the ice box, and forming the floor of the ice chamber.

B is a cake of ice resting upon this floor.

13 B are sleeves rigidly mounted in the frame B, having at either end guide bear.- ingsB, B", to guide the spring supported plungers B, which support the floor plate B The springs supportingthese plungers are contained within the sleeves, as indicated'at B.

C is a piston loosely carried by the floor plate B and free to reciprocate in a cylinder C which cylinder isadapted to slide in the frame B, being held adjustably in, position therein by the hollow plug C screw threaded in astirrup C, and adapted to abut upon and support the bottom of the cylinder.

C is a pipe discharging from the bottom of the cylinder passing through the hollow sleeve C and communicating with a pipe C, being held thereagainst by a coupling C-.' This pipe C communicates with pipe C which passes through the wall of the ice box, and in turn communicates with the manometer tube A". r

The plungers B project downwardly from the bottom of the sleeves B and are provided at their lower ends with bearing members D, which rest against the ends of levers D These Jlevers D are rigidly mounted each on a'shaftD which shaft is mounted for rotation in bearings D on frame B. I

D is a rocker arm rigidly mounted on the shaft D It is in pivotal connection with a reciprocatin rod D guided in a bearing D, and pro ecting out through the 1 wall of the ice box A, soas to be contacted by a plate D, on the door A A spring D tends yieldingly to thrust the rod outwardly,

thus rocking the shaft and freeing the memin my drawings the operative device still many changes might be made in size, shape and arrangements ofparts'without departing materially from the spirit of my invention, and I Wish,.therefore, that my drawings be regarded as in a sense diagrammatic.

. The use and operation of my invention s as follows: Then the ice box door is closed the spring held pin is'thrust inwardly by the plate on the'door. The shaft is rocked,

the levers are brought into engagement with the plungers supporting the ice floor, and the load is lifted from the springs, thus relieving the pressure on them and protecting them against undue service. \Vhen the ice box door is opened, however, the spring held rod is pressed out by the springs, and the ice supporting plungersare no longer supported by anything except the springs. The ice then compresses the springs a certain distance, proportionately to the weight of the ice. The downward movement of the floor, compressing these springs, will also cause the piston to pass down intoits cylinder, compressing the liquid contained therein and causing it to ri'se in the manometer. If the tube has been properly calibrated it will give a direct reading of the amount of ice in the ice box, and the operator will then have a positive check on the amount of 'ice used or upon the amount of ice bought and delivered. After the device has been installed if any change takes place the manometer reading can be adjusted by varying the height of the cylinder with respect to the piston, by the means shown thus the scale can always be corrected for any change in weight or variation in the resistance of the springs.

I claim: r

1. The combination with an ice box of an ice floor, a plurality of plungers downwardly depending therefrom, a guide member in which each plunger is slidably mounted,-a resilient supporting spring contained within each guide member, said plungers the closure of the ice box door for rotating said rock shaft to lift the weight of the floor through said plungers off the springs.

2. The combination with an ice box of an ice floor, a plurality of plungers downwardly depending therefrom, a guide memher in which each plunger is slidably mounted, a resilient supporting spring contained within each guide member, said plungers ex tending below said guide members, a rock shaft, rock arms rigid thereon extending beneath said plungers and means responsive to the closure of the ice box door for rotating said rock shaft to'lift the Weight of the floor through said plungers off the springs, a cylinder, a connection between it and an indicating device, a piston free to move in the cylinder and a flexible connection between the piston and the floor.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature in the presence of two Witnesses this 21st day of July 1915.

MIN-Nils M. LINDENAU, CHRISTINA DEANS. 

